Of these, Scholes, Neville, Mills, Southgate and Gerrard are all expected to start tonight's game, with the one main selection doubt over whether Jenas, Lampard or Sinclair plays on the left side of midfield.

Middlesbrough defender Southgate, one of the most cosmopolitan squad members, nevertheless stressed that no disrespect was meant to Mandela as the players were simply recovering from a tiring overnight flight from the UK the day before. At least those who made the visit cherished the experience, with Beckham handing the former South African president an England shirt which read `Mandela 03'.

The England skipper said: "He has such an amazing aura, you feel relaxed and at home as soon as you are in his company."

And Jenas, 20, clearly agreed as he declared: "It was a great experience - I'm really glad to have done it.

"To meet someone in person that has known so much suffering yet has done so much for humanity is something I'll always remember."

Meanwhile, Eriksson is lobbying hard to ensure his England players a clear four-week break ahead of the Euro 2004 finals to give them a realistic chance of winning the tournament if they qualify.

Eriksson believes that England's build-up to the 2002 World Cup was hampered by the short time in which the players had to recover after an exhausting domestic campaign.

For the past 12 months, he has been determined to ensure that the national team are not similarly handicapped ahead of next summer's tournament in Portugal.

The Premier League have already announced that next season will start on August 16 for top-flight clubs.

That puts them a a week behind the Nationwide League.

No date has yet been fixed for the end of the season, although there is a provisional date of May 16.